Last of the Minnesota Zoo dolphins moved to new homes

Semo, still a viable male, soaking up the sun at his new digs in Cali. Where the ladies at?

The Minnesota Zoo's two bottlenose dolphins, Semo and Allie, have been moved to new homes to allow for major repairs to the zoo's saltwater-damaged Discovery Bay building.

Semo, who at 48 is the oldest male bottlenose dolphin in human care, now resides at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in California. Allie, 25, is now at Brookfield Zoo in Illinois.

The staff at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has expertise in caring for senior marine mammals. Semo is still a viable male, according to the Minnesota Zoo, and therefore will be introduced to four other female dolphins, apparently to possibly father some baby Semos.

Brookfield Zoo.

Allie reuniting with her old pal Tapeko, who now has a daughter named Allison.

Allie, who is owned by the Chicago Zoological Society, was on a breeding loan at the Minnesota Zoo. While at Brookfield Zoo from 1995 to 2000, she established a bond with Tapeko, Brookfield Zoo's 30-year-old female dolphin. Happily, Allie and Tapeko will be reunited.

At this point, there are no more dolphins at the zoo, and, according to a statement by the zoo in May, it does not plan to house dolphins once the repairs to Discovery Bay have been made.

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As I was putting my three-year-old daughter to bed this evening, she asked to go to the Minnesota Zoo to see Allie and Semo. I explained to her they moved. She wanted to know where and was hoping they moved in with Sparky at the Como Zoo. This article was very helpful - now we know where the dolphins live. She also declared she wants to be a dolphin trainer when she grows up. This is the first career she has shown interest in. I have to admit, it made me tear up just a little. We miss Allie and Semo very much! Maybe we will have to plan a trip to California and/or Illinois...

Well Erica the reason that dolphins are kept in captivity is because people who study marine animals such as dolphins are able to see how they react in different environments and get a close up look at how dolphins interact with each other and when people aren't watching them. And the reason why trainers train them is so that if they get sick or need a doctor check up the dolphins don't get scared and hurt someone or freak out. Besides Dolphins are very playful animals and they like attention so doing stupid pet tricks entertain them just like we look to stupid comedians that don't make any sense to entertain us. Same goes for other animals in captivity that entertain like Killer Whales and sea lions, and this whole time the trainers and the zookeepers think only in the best interest of the animals. If they are in a bad mood one particular day or sick or just plain depressed the animals don't have to perform.